Water-level indicator.



No. 892,425. PATENTED JULY '7, 1908. W. G. HORNER. WATER LEVEL INDICATOR.

APPLICATION .FILED FEB.13, 1608.

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i J1 l 1 'UNITED ySTATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM CROGKET HORNER, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

WATER-LE VEL INDICATOR.

Spee'cation of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 13, 1908.

Patented July 7, 1908.

Serial No. 415,714.

later-Level Indicators, of which the followl ing is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in water level indicators of the portable type, and it more particularly seeks to provide a device of this character of a very simple, compact and effective construction, which canbe easily and cheaply manufactured and readily attached to the tank and of such nature as to be easily transferable from one place to another.

In its generic nature, my invention comprises a box or easing in which the signal and its operating power is carried together with a float operated alarm for bringing the signal into operation at times, the box or casing serving as a housing for the operating parts in such manner as to avoid their being damaged by contact with the water, or otherwise.

Tn its more subordinate nature the invention involves certain novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first described in detail, and then be specifically pointed out in' the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l, is a perspectiveview showing my invention in use. Fig. 2, is a horizontal section takenin a plane just below the lid of the box. Fig. 3, is a longitudinal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is a detail perspective view of the lid of the box showing the partition members carried thereby for maintaining the battery from sliding around in the boxv while it is being carried.

Referring now to the accompanying' drawings in which like letters and numerals of reference indicate like parts in all of the ligures, l designates the tank in which water is adapted te flow. This tank may be the drip-pan of a refrigerator, or any other water receiving tank, although my invention is particularly designed for use in connection with refrigerator drip-tanks and the like.

2 designates my improved alarm mechanism, which comprises the casing body 2 to which the lid 2b is hinged or otherwise seeused along one edge and fastened by a has p and pin 3 on the other edge when the lid is closed.

body within the box is a bell or other suitable alarm 3 and a switch block il having the relatively -fixed contact 4" and the normally open spring contact 4 mounted on the insulating base 4, as indicated. This switch block may be of the ordinary push button type and is controlled through the lloat mechanism 5 which comprises the metal lloat ball 5, firmly secured to a rod 5b that projects i into the box and is bent at right angles to the main portion of the lid, as at 5, and then at 5d to form a bearing or fulcrum which is mounted on the fixed bearing 2" of the box and terminates in the contact engaging finger 5, as shown, the -linger' 5C serving to cooperate with the spring contact of the switch block.

6 designates an ordinary cell of dry battery which is held in the box by partitions' 7 carried by the lid, the partitions 7 serving in connection with the back and end walls of the box to hold the battery in place and keep it from slipping around in the box as it is being transported. The battery has one terminal in electrical connection with the bell and the other terminal in electrical connection with one of the switch contacts, while the other switch contact is in electrical connection with the other contact of the bell, as is well understood by those skilled in the art. Thus when water flows into the pan and rises above a normal level, the float will be correspondingly raised to close the contact at the switch block, and thus close the electrical circuit from the battery to the bell causing the alarm to be operated.

Tn order that the device may be readily attached to a round or square pan, T provide a pair of hook members S pivotally mounted at Su to the box and provided with spacing feet Sb whereby to engage the pan 1 and also hook over the upper edge thereof as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. A handle 9 is provided on the box for the usual purposes.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought the complete construction, operation and many advantages of my invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the'invention appertains.

Vhat T claim is:

l. A portable alarm for water tanks and the like, comprising a casing, an electrically o erated alarm within said casing, a source Secured to the front wall 2X of the box l of electrical energy within said casing, a

switch block Within said casing and in electrical connection With the alarm and the source of electrical energy, means mounted Within the casing and projecting to the outside thereof to coperate With the switch block to operate the same, said means including a float held Within the tank, means carried by the casing for supporting the same on the tank, said casing com rising a body and a lid secured thereto, anc means carried by the lid for coperating With the body to hold the source of electrical energy in place Within the box and prevent movement thereof.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a box or casing, consisting` of a body, and a lid secured thereto, a battery held Within said box, said box being of greater length and Width than said battery, partition members carried by the lid of the box for engaging the battery to hold it from movement Within the box, a bell secured to one Wall of the box, a contact maker also secured to said Wall Within the box, electrical connections between the contact maker, the battery and the bell, a iioat lever fulcrumed Within said box and projecting to the outside thereof, said float lever having a portion for coperating With said contact maker to close the electrical circuit, a iloat mounted on the outer end of said ioat lever, and means carried by the box for supporting the same on a tank, substantially as shown and described.

.WILLIAM @ROCKET HORNER. Witnesses:

P. A. SxEGGs,

J. G. MCKENZIE. 

